Outfit Post

With winter in full effect, I finally pulled out my bin of sweaters I packed away in May. I have a pretty nice sweater collection and most, conveniently, look great with leggings. Today’s outfit post is the opposite of that, a great look that’s just as comfy as leggings but takes a little more effort.

First, I got to talk about this sweater. I got it from one of my many TJ Maxx shopping sprees. I go in that store so many times, just to look. Especially if I feel like my closet needs a new article added to it. I rarely come back from these excursions empty handed. A recent trip to my favorite store didn’t disappoint, this sweater was only $16.99! The length is very on trend this winter and I’m personally always attracted to a geometric/Aztec print. I love throwing this sweater on for an impromptu dinner with the girls because it’s an instant outfit. Here’s some similar styles: | one | two | three |

These jeans are super wide flared and I love the look of them. I feel like a 1970’s rock star when I wear them. I got them clearance shopping at the American Eagle outlet for less than $10. I’m excited about the prospect of flares coming back, I blame my millennial youth. These jeans are very comfortable and have a lot of stretch without losing shape. I think AE has some of the best affordable denim out there.

Now these shoes make me look deceivingly tall and I love it. I’m just short enough that all jeans are a little too long and I needs some heel to lift me up. These are actually pretty comfortable to walk in since there’s decent sized platform in front. Plus, I think they add to my rock star status.

This necklace is from where I get most of my accessories, Francesca’s. I bought it years ago as a final piece to a birthday outfit and have ended up wearing it quite often. I like that it’s grey because it’s super neutral and I think more interesting than just black.

I have to confess, these shorts hung in my closet for years with the tags still on them. I bought them on major clearance at Kohl’s and thought they’d be so cute with navy tights in the fall. The navy tights I bought are still in the package too. I do this kind of thing often, I have a great outfit idea in mind and then when I can’t find all the pieces I’m picturing, I give up on it. I was inspired to find a way to use these shorts so I can feature them on my blog. So here it is:

These short are from Lauren Conrad line at Kohl’s. Since I bought them on clearance a number of years ago they are obviously no longer available. However, in her new Mickey Mouse line, there are a pair of shorts very similar. These may even be cuter because on the front there’s a bow. It’s almost impossible to see in the picture online but in person it’s so cute! I had to resist buying them since I already have a similar pair with the tags still on.

In my head I kept picturing a pretty blouse in cream to pair with them. It’s what held up this outfit for so long because I wanted to wear what I was picturing and couldn’t find it. I finally found just what I was looking for at H & M while shopping specifically for outfits to post. It was just meant to be. I’m actually really happy with this purchase and I already have ideas in my mind for more ways to wear it with things I already own. Oh! I think I just came up with another idea for another post! I could not find this elusive top online but I did my best to find something similar here, here, and here.

Now on to the shoes. I remembering talking myself into these shoes when I should have been talking myself out of them. I really didn’t need another pair of too high heels but I loved the color and all the straps. So I bought them. Again, this is another LC Lauren Conrad item. LC’s my girl, what can I say?

This necklace is another treasure from Francesca’s. I love this color on me and I think it’s a great compliment to navy. Francesca’s has such great pieces, while I couldn’t find anything similar, you could fill up a shopping basket quickly while browsing their site.

This would get a great date night outfit. Am I right? Sky high heels and some short shorts. I think this is a great look for a mature, confident woman. Very professional and still sexy. Plus it’s very comfortable and would be even more so with a pair of flats.

The inspiration behind this outfit was to mix casual with formal or grungy with frilly. I picked up this skirt from Lauren Conrad’s LC collection for Kohl’s. It was part of her Cinderella collection which is, sadly, no longer available. I lucked out and got this pretty little thing on sale. One left in my size!? Heck yes! Unfortunately it’s not available for purchase but I found something similar here and here. One of the things that attracted me to this skirt is that it reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw. I think I’ve subconsciously been looking for a pink tulle skirt for the better part of ten years. (For those of you doing the math, I was not at an appropriate age to watch the show when it premiered.) When I saw this I bought it without even thinking about it. I was on a mission to get outfits to post about and this sorta just fell into my lap. But then what to pair it with?

A jean jacket would be so cute! Do you agree? I love the idea of combining a jean jacket with a pretty dress or skirt. It instantly makes it a great day time look. Now, the only thing about jean jackets (for me) is the fit. I’ve never found one that doesn’t make me look totally square. The sleeves are always, always tight in the shoulders so I end up going up a size. I think you can tell in the pictures that it’s a little large. It’s also from high school when I was a little more “hammy”. But there’s something that looks very punk rock about a jean jacket. And if you lean in I’ll tell you a secret… I was a bit of a poser in high school. I even cut out the American Eagle label on this very jacket because, like, I would never shop there. And now it’s one of my favorite places to shop. Go figure. American Eagle has not stopped selling jean jackets (probably never will). Shop here.

And of course nothing compliments a good jean jacket like a pair of converse. These ones are great because they are slip-ons. I never tied or untied them anyway. While this pair is not from high school, converse were definitely a staple for me then too. If you like the idea of slip-ons pick them up here.

My favorite piece of this whole outfit is this necklace. I got it at Francesca’s Collections. One of my favorite stores and one of the (many) places I’ve worked. I could spend all day going through their jewelry and when I worked there that’s just what I did. This necklace is actually a few years old, I picked it up while shopping with my mom. She’s great to shop with but she’s very encouraging on buying something I don’t need. Results in a lot of buyer’s remorse. Not with this pendant stunner though! I remember being in the store with my mom and showing it to her, asking if I should get it. While I was contemplating it my mom informed me, very loudly that: “You better get it Mandi. This girl here is eyeing it and it’s the last one.” Haha. My mom’s vocal and everyone in the store found out. Anyway I think it’s the perfect cherry on top of this spring ensemble. I couldn’t find the exact one but all the necklaces at that store are so great! Here is something similar.

So this is my welcome spring day time look. Whaddya think? No trail beyond this point #endpost